Jay Gulledge <jgulledge@oeb.harvard.edu> Date: Wed, 03 Feb 1999
Dear Chancellor Broski:
I am writing to support the efforts of many individuals and organizations, including the Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition, to rescue what remains of the historic Maxwell Street neighborhood from destruction. Through the efforts of the Coalition and others, I am sure that you are aware of the historical and cultural importance of the Maxwell Street district. Its historical significance to the arts and humanities easily compares to that of any other historic neighborhood in the United States.
For more than 60 years, the Maxwell Street neighborhood was pivotal in the shift of the ethnic composition of the industrialized Midwest from almost purely Anglo-European to a mixture of Anglo, Jewish, African, and Latino, thus creating the melting pot phenomenon for which the U.S. is well known. On Maxwell street immigrants from Europe, Latin America, and the South were introduced to one another and to the Midwestern culture, which probably was, in many ways, as distinct from Southern U.S. culture as it was from Eastern European culture. A set of unique circumstances developed wherein poor, non-Caucasian immigrants could survive, and sometimes prosper, despite the strongly segregated norms of American economic and social structure. The setting was absolutely unique and has not been replicated, either in composition or in spirit, in any other American city. This milieu of culture and ethnicity was a distinctly American phenomenon, yet was unprecedented in American society. Even as the Chicago power structure ignored or even expressed disdain for this unruly, low-rent ghetto, the precursor to an international artistic revolution was developing in its back streets.
The Blues and its derived forms, such as Jazz and Rock and Roll, arguably constitute the only musical genres that are distinctly American in source, form, and substance. The Blues was introduced to Chicago by Southern blacks who migrated north in search of economic opportunity. In the Maxwell Street Market, the Blues was transformed from an acoustic to an electric instrumental form, so that the performers could make themselves heard over the bustling crowds that packed the market. Unwittingly, this electrified form of the Blues, which became known as the Chicago Blues, paved the way for the creation of Rock and Roll, which would dominate pop music for generations to come. The Chicago Blues has shaped the artistry of untold numbers of contemporary pop mavens, including international superstars Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones. Chicago Blues greats, such as Howling Wolf and Muddy Waters, were international superstars themselves, touring Europe in the 1950s and 60s and bringing the Chicago sound to an international, multi-cultural audience. In Europe, these American Blues artists sparked an international pop music phenomenon that led to the return of a popularized form of the Blues to America with the "British Invasion" of Rock and Roll super groups, spearheaded by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in 1964. Both of these world-famous bands were inspired by American Blues icons who had begun their own artistic journeys decades earlier in Chicago, playing to immigrant audiences in the Maxwell Street Market.
The unique cultural and social dynamic that prevailed in the Maxwell Street district in the first half of the Twentieth Century created a truly international cultural and artistic legacy that lives on in the art of literally thousands of musicians, dancers, painters, photographers, and literary artists, as well as in the work of many scholars who understand the artistic and sociological significance of Maxwell Street. Moreover, the fans, patrons, and students of these artists and scholars number in the millions and find their own lives enriched immeasurably by the art, history, and interpretation of the human condition that derive from Maxwell Street. There simply is no way to convey adequately how profoundly important Maxwell Street is to a well-rounded understanding of contemporary American society, art, and culture. Just as Quincy Market and the Old North Church in Boston symbolize the birth of our nation; just as the French Quarter in New Orleans symbolizes American multi-culturalism and creativity that extend to architecture, music, and cuisine; just as the monument of Pearl Harbor documents the American commitment to global freedom and democracy, so Maxwell Street symbolizes and documents a form of American artistry and multi-culturalism that extend their influence across international boundaries and affect the lives of millions of people the world over. To destroy what remains of the Maxwell Street neighborhood, or to change its basic character, would injure the legacy of American creativity and humanity.
I visited UIC last December to interview for a faculty position in the Department of Biological Sciences. As a patron of the Blues and a student of the post-emancipation development of African American society and culture, I was anxious to see Maxwell Street with my own eyes. Fortunately, I was able to take a stroll around the neighborhood the morning after the interview was completed. Despite never having been there before, I found myself nostalgic for the days when Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf played the Blues for nickels and dimes tossed by market patrons. I could envision Jewish, Latin, and African Americans bartering for bushels of fruit, housewares, and articles of clothing. I value this experience because it made an important aspect of American history come alive in my imagination in a way that only being there could do. However, I was also dismayed to see how much of the historic neighborhood had already been consumed and literally demolished because of UIC expansion. Much damage has been done already and part of our American legacy has been lost irrevocably. UIC has committed to preserve some of Maxwell Street's historical appearance, which is commendable. However, after touring the neighborhood, I now realize that the proposed preservation of a few buildings is woefully inadequate to preserve the nature and spirit of the neighborhood. No one will ever be able to get a "feel" for what Maxwell Street represents unless a significant portion of the neighborhood is preserved and revitalized as a residential area and open air market.
I do not wish to deny the university's need to expand. Moreover, I believe its goal to become an internationally recognized research institution is worthy and also realizable. As a potential faculty member I appreciate and share this ambition. However, there must be viable alternatives to destroying what remains of one of our nation's cultural treasures to fulfill the university's needs. In fact, one of the hallmarks of many of the great American universities is a culturally-rich and character-endowed neighborhood around the campus. UIC has such a neighborhood in its shadow today. Maxwell Street can be a boon to UIC and the City of Chicago if it can be preserved and revitalized without changing its basic character, thus benefiting the university and preserving our national heritage. I urge you to consider what can be done toward this end. Thank you for considering my comments.
Sincerely,
Jay Gulledge, Ph.D.
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